Week 8 took a little shine off the Big 12’s momentum. BYU and Texas Tech both stumbled, Utah had to scrap to the finish against Houston, and the conference’s push for multiple playoff teams suddenly looked a touch less tidy.
In a league that changes by the hour, though, there’s no time to sit on that. Week 9 brings a fresh set of tests, and these three teams have the most to answer for.
Texas Tech is at the top of the list because the Red Raiders have real questions now, not theoretical ones. Cincinnati didn’t just hand them their first loss of the season - it also put a spotlight on the offensive issues Texas Tech had been able to hide.
They’re still waiting on running back Cameron Dickey, and there’s a chance he could be back for Arizona this weekend. That would come at exactly the right time, because Arizona might be playing the best football of any Big 12 team right now.
This is the kind of game that forces Texas Tech to show whether it’s still the preseason version of itself. Arizona’s hot streak, and the play of quarterback Noah Fifita, make that a tough ask.
The Red Raiders need their offense humming again, and Dickey’s presence would matter. When he scores a touchdown, the Red Raiders don’t lose.
And with this season sitting right in front of them, another setback would make their path to the Big 12 Championship Game extremely thin unless chaos takes over elsewhere. They need to answer.
Cincinnati is the next team with something to prove, even if it doesn’t look obvious at first glance. The Bearcats host Utah, the conference’s highest-ranked team and the last undefeated squad standing.
On paper, that’s a brutal draw. But Cincinnati already blew up the script once by knocking off Texas Tech, and that makes this week more than just a survival test.
The real challenge is avoiding the classic letdown after a big win. That’s what this game is about: proving the Bearcats can stack strong performances in back-to-back weeks.
Last week’s upset didn’t happen in a vacuum, either. UC carried some offseason frustration, including what it felt from Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell.
Utah won’t give Cincinnati that same edge. The Utes aren’t going to provide bulletin board material, and the Bearcats are going to have to create their own energy at home.
Then there’s Oklahoma State, a team that can’t afford to drift in any road game from here on out. The Cowboys have dropped two of their three road contests this season, and if they want to stay alive in the Big 12 Championship race, that has to stop.
Their three-point loss at Houston two weeks ago was respectable, but it also knocked them out of the unbeaten league picture. Another road miss would be a major blow.
What Oklahoma State has to prove now is simple: it can win the kind of close road game contenders have to win. That’s the assignment, especially with Eric Morris knowing firsthand how difficult a place Ames can be at night from his time at Texas Tech.
The Cowboys’ jump from 1-11 to contender status has been one of the Big 12’s best stories, and Morris deserves plenty of credit for the turnaround. But storylines only go so far.
OSU has reached the point where it needs to cash in on games it’s supposed to take.
In Other News...
Cincinnati Has A Bigger Big 12 Chance Than Utah Wants To Admit
Saturdays Big 12 matchup has drawn plenty of attention because it pits Cincinnati against an undefeated Utah team that has looked the part through the early going. The Bearcats come in with some real momentum after a recent win over Texas Tech, and the conversation around this one has already turned to whether Cincinnati has more of a chance than Utah wants to acknowledge. David Pollack and Brent Rollins both dug into the matchup, framing it as a test of how far Cincinnati has come and how much pressure Utah can absorb in league play.
A lot of the focus naturally falls on Utahs dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier, who gives the Utes a different kind of problem for a defense trying to stay disciplined from snap to snap. Pollack believes Cincinnati is capable of handling the moment and sees the Bearcats as live underdogs in a game set for 2:45 p.m. CT on ESPN. For Cincinnati, it is the kind of late-afternoon proving ground that can shift how the rest of the Big 12 views the Bearcats if they can turn another strong showing into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Has A Real Reason To Watch The Big 12 Now
The Big 12s recent run of change has a lot to do with Brett Yormark, who took over as commissioner in 2022 and quickly put his stamp on the league. Under his watch, the conference added Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State, while also landing a media rights deal that helped stabilize the leagues future. For programs like Cincinnati, the last few years have been a reminder that the Big 12 is still trying to define itself in a shifting college sports landscape, even as it holds onto its place as the No. 4 conference and continues to put multiple playoff contenders on the board.
Yormarks tenure also pushed the Big 12 into some of the sports most consequential battles, reflecting how much more assertive the league has become in protecting its interests. The conference has not shied away from taking a leadership role when it believes the stakes warrant it, and that approach has helped shape the way the Big 12 operates on and off the field. With so much of that groundwork already in place, the next phase for the league will be about whether it can keep that momentum going as the leadership picture changes. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnati Faces Its Toughest Test Yet At Nippert Against No. 6 Utah
No. 6 Utah arrives at Nippert with the nations longest active winning streak intact, and Cincinnati knows this is the kind of late-season home game that can say a lot about where the program stands. Scott Satterfield has stressed the value of playing in front of a familiar crowd, and the Bearcats will need every edge they can get against a Top 10 team that has handled just about everything in its path.
What makes Utah so tricky for Cincinnatis defense is the variety baked into its offense, which has a way of forcing opponents to stay disciplined snap after snap. The Bearcats are also staring at a game that could swing on hidden-yardage moments, whether it is the run game, a turnover or a field goal chance, so the margin for error feels especially thin. [Read more 🡒]